Here is a pretty cool video that someone shot while racing on Saturday. The video is over 6 minutes, but the background music and the fact that it gives you a good taste of what the 101 is all about, make it well worth watching. Be sure to watch it through to the end... my friend Matt gives the Ride for the House campaign a plug - thanks, Matt!
The video may take a few seconds to show up in your browser, so be patient!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Race Day Pictures!
Mile Zero... ... looking a tad over confident
(obviously I have no idea what I'm in for today!).
My cheering crew near Alan Seeger Natural Area
(~50 miles in).
It was SO good to see my girls along
the course!
Alaina was obviously not happy with the way I smelled...
Alaina at the finish line... wondering if I'd ever get there!
10 more minutes, and I'm outta here!
Finally, I cross the line...
only to be charged by my dog, Henry...
then came Tracey and Ella while Henry barked in the
background!
I don't think Henry liked the way I smelled either.
My good friend, Chip.. he finished about 4 hours earlier.
Chris Scott (blue hat) is the promoter of the 101, and
although he looks like he's getting down on the harmonica,
he is actually telling the crowd about my Ride for the
House fund raising efforts. Thanks for the props, Chris!
A few more cheers....
Happy to be off the bike!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I know I’ve been totally slacking on this blog thing, but I guess I’ve been a bit busy lately with work, training, traveling, feeding kids, changing diapers, taking care of quail (yes, we have quail), etc., etc. Anyway, the Wilderness 101 is just over a week away (yikes!), so I thought it was time for a quick update… and another solicitation for donations!
Speaking of donations, so far I’ve received $910, which is really awesome (I truly appreciate the generosity of all who have donated!), but I would at least like to hit the $1500 mark by the time the race rolls around. Again, 100% of your tax deductible donations will go to either the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA or the global RMH Charities – it’s your choice. You can rest assured that 0% of your donations will be used to pay for my bike, entry fee, shorts, shoes, socks, cliff bars, energy drink mix, electrolyte tablets, tires, tubes, CO2 cartridges, etc. So if you haven’t had a chance to donate (online or via a check), please do so now. Thank you very much!
My training has been going well, and as of last Sunday, I am officially done with the “hard” training. From now until July 31st, it’s all about maintenance and recovery. Since April, a typical training week included 1 or 2 rides on my stationary trainer, 1 or two mid-week road rides (usually around 30 - 40 miles), followed by a long ride (75 – 120 miles on the road bike or 35 – 50 miles on my mountain bike). For the next week and a half, however, my “long” ride won’t exceed 2 hours (~30 – 35 road miles). I’m psyched to be done with the long training rides, but I’m also a bit nervous because the level of fitness I have now is all I’m going to have come race time next weekend… I just hope it’s enough!
Race Day updates… for those of you that are interested, I’m going to post updates to the RideForTheHouse blog periodically throughout the race. There are a total of 5 aid stations that are scattered along the course. Aid station 1 is about 20 miles in, 2 is approximately 40 miles in, 3 is at mile 60, 4 is 74 miles in and 5 is at mile 89. I’ll try to post a quick update at each station. The course map is here so you can keep track of my progress throughout the day if you’d like.
Finally, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Wilderness 101, here are some facts about the event:
Speaking of donations, so far I’ve received $910, which is really awesome (I truly appreciate the generosity of all who have donated!), but I would at least like to hit the $1500 mark by the time the race rolls around. Again, 100% of your tax deductible donations will go to either the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA or the global RMH Charities – it’s your choice. You can rest assured that 0% of your donations will be used to pay for my bike, entry fee, shorts, shoes, socks, cliff bars, energy drink mix, electrolyte tablets, tires, tubes, CO2 cartridges, etc. So if you haven’t had a chance to donate (online or via a check), please do so now. Thank you very much!
My training has been going well, and as of last Sunday, I am officially done with the “hard” training. From now until July 31st, it’s all about maintenance and recovery. Since April, a typical training week included 1 or 2 rides on my stationary trainer, 1 or two mid-week road rides (usually around 30 - 40 miles), followed by a long ride (75 – 120 miles on the road bike or 35 – 50 miles on my mountain bike). For the next week and a half, however, my “long” ride won’t exceed 2 hours (~30 – 35 road miles). I’m psyched to be done with the long training rides, but I’m also a bit nervous because the level of fitness I have now is all I’m going to have come race time next weekend… I just hope it’s enough!
Race Day updates… for those of you that are interested, I’m going to post updates to the RideForTheHouse blog periodically throughout the race. There are a total of 5 aid stations that are scattered along the course. Aid station 1 is about 20 miles in, 2 is approximately 40 miles in, 3 is at mile 60, 4 is 74 miles in and 5 is at mile 89. I’ll try to post a quick update at each station. The course map is here so you can keep track of my progress throughout the day if you’d like.
Finally, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Wilderness 101, here are some facts about the event:
- This is a 101 mile, single-loop, ultra-endurance mountain bike race.
- The Wilderness 101 is one of 8 races that make up the National Ultra-Endurance (NUE) Mountain Bike series.
- There’s approximately 15,000 vertical feet of climbing.
- The course is made up of fire roads, degraded fire roads, single-track (trails) and double-track.
- In 2009, there were 325 starters.
- Course record is 6:41 – my time (assuming I finish) will be 10+ hours.
- The race starts at 7am, Saturday July 31st.
- There will be free beer at the finish line!
Monday, June 21, 2010
About Donating...
You can donate to either the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA (this is the house we stayed at), or to the general Ronald McDonald House Charities - please specify on the PayPal site. If you don't specify, then your donation will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey, PA.
Other stuff... Paypal charges 2.9% for each transaction. I will pay this fee for each donation, so 100% of your contribution will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House. Donations made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities are tax deductable, and I am in the process of figuring out how to provide you with the appropriate documentation.
If you prefer, you may also mail a check to:
David Walrath
156 Legion Lane
State College, PA 16801
Please make checks payable to either "Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA" or "Ronald McDonald House Charities". Thank you!!
Other stuff... Paypal charges 2.9% for each transaction. I will pay this fee for each donation, so 100% of your contribution will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House. Donations made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities are tax deductable, and I am in the process of figuring out how to provide you with the appropriate documentation.
If you prefer, you may also mail a check to:
David Walrath
156 Legion Lane
State College, PA 16801
Please make checks payable to either "Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA" or "Ronald McDonald House Charities". Thank you!!
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Stoopid 50
As its name implies, the Stoopid 50 is a mountain bike race that was designed for people with an impaired or limited mental capacity. I'm not saying that the participants are, well, stupid, but to take on a 50 mile course that covers some of the most technical single-track (translation: steep, rocky, muddy, root-covered trails) in the northeast, is just not that smart! I mean, when I started training for the Wilderness 101 (101, for short), I never even thought about doing the Stoopid 50, because I was afraid of how difficult this course is. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect the 101 to be an easier race, but I am psyched to have this one under my belt! My performance on Sunday (6/13) definitely was not pretty [reads: I suffered like a dog all day!], but I finished the race, and that's what counts, right? Big thanks to Tracey, Ella and Alaina, AND our friends Chip and Tracey, who all made me feel like I won the race... thanks for waiting for me guys!Next up: 100 mile road ride tomorrow (6/19).
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